As a kid, Roberto Nelson learned the art of trash talk in
pickup games -- against his father.

He endured jeers, as well as hard fouls, playing Bruce
Nelson. Whenever a scrawny Roberto crumpled to the asphalt, he sprung to his
feet quicker than the time before.

"I'm just that kind of guy," the senior Oregon State guard
said Tuesday.

Typically, Nelson is a peacemaker. He takes any opportunity
to laud teammates and opponents alike for games well played. With seven
regular-season Beavers contests remaining, though, forward Devon Collier hopes
his easygoing friend encounters more battles. Nelson needs "someone to
challenge him so he can get going," Collier explained.

The Pac-12's leading scorer is slogging through somewhat of a mini-slump.
In two of his past three outings, Nelson struggled to finish at half of his
season scoring average. He shot 25 percent from the field and netted a combined
22 points against UCLA and No. 2 Arizona. The Bruins and Wildcats simply keyed
in on him, forcing other OSU players to shoulder the offensive load.

Last Thursday's overtime loss at Arizona State could've
easily offered that same narrative. Nelson, who entered halftime with just two
points on 1-of-3 shooting, floundered amid a wave of early double teams. He tried
to facilitate, but only chipped in one assist over the first 20 minutes.

Nelson seemed to emerge from the break a transformed player.
He attacked the rim. He found open teammates. He helped push the game into an
extra period. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Nelson had erupted for 24
points over the second half and overtime.

So what was the difference? What propelled the turnaround?

"The guy who was guarding me," Nelson said, "he was just
saying stuff to me."

ASU star Jahii Carson, who played on the same AAU team as
Nelson, was quoted before the game saying, "We just got to get in his head."
Sun Devils guard Shaquielle McKissic apparently got the memo. Nelson said the
Seattle native peppered him with verbal jabs throughout the first half.

At one point, Nelson asked a referee to watch for McKissic
holding him on cuts to the basket. McKissic, aware of the grievance, allegedly
told Nelson, "Yeah, I would complain if I only had two points, too."

Nelson added that he "probably would've had six or seven
points" if not for McKissic's jawing. Of course, the Beavers' fortunes don't rest
solely on whether Nelson continues becoming the target of trash talk. OSU upset
UCLA earlier this month when he only hit 2-of-8 shots.

"We have to have other guys who can step up," coach Craig
Robinson said. "And we've got a number of guys who can do that."

The Beavers will aim for a Civil War sweep Sunday at Oregon.
And though in-state rivalries tend to provide plenty of trash-talk fodder,
Nelson doesn't expect to find any McKissics on the Ducks.

"Those guys, they don't do too much trash talking," he said. "Being a rival
school, you would think that they're the biggest trash talkers. And in all my
time being here, I think Tony Woods is really the only guy who really said
stuff."